Sojourners - Democracyhttp://www.sojo.net/taxonomy/term/586/0
en#DialInForJusticehttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/15/dialinforjustice
<p style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">To be black in America is to listen to death daily. To hear mothers wailing at unnecessary funerals, to see fathers mourning lost sons, to offer graveside prayers that puncture the heart of God — this is the sorrow song of a people, and a nation, haunted by racism.</span></p><p style="font-size: 12px;">Over our heads however, I hear the sweet, dark sounds of freedom in the air, calling for the dry bones of democracy to arise from the segregated sinews of our society. The multiracial chorus of protestors chanting, "I can't breathe," the die-ins, the walk-outs, and the highway-halting actions of youth from New York to Chicago to Tallahassee to Los Angeles represent a thirst and hunger for righteousness that includes and yet transcends voting.</p><p style="font-size: 12px;">To join within this symphony of justice, I am calling faith communities to participate in a national #DialInForJustice during the month of December. The goal is to call the Unites States Department of Justice and local police departments, communicating our desire to see systemic reforms to policing in America. This initiative seeks to lift up faith-filled voices alongside the already existing trumpet blasts of groups like the Organization of Black Struggle, Dream Defenders, PICO, Sojourners, and so on.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/15/dialinforjustice" target="_blank">read more</a></p>#dialinforjusticeDemocracyDiversityGod's PoliticsJusticeRacial and Social JusticeTechnologyvotersMon, 15 Dec 2014 19:44:38 +0000Andrew Wilkes63726 at http://www.sojo.netNeeded: A Progressive Christianity to Restore the Nation’s Civic Virtueshttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/11/needed-progressive-christianity-restore-nation%E2%80%99s-civic-virtues-0
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Election 2014: Something important has just happened.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Big money bought an election. Fear prevailed over confidence and loathing over reason. The majority chose not to vote, allowing a passionate minority — older, whiter — to change the balance of power. Attack ads drowned out issues. A broken political system tolerated cheating and bullying.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Most worrisome is the absence of the virtues that enable a democracy to function in a challenging world. Civic-mindedness gave way to clever voter-suppression tactics. Freedom of the press got lost in attack ads and deliberate distortions of reality. Respect for opponents is gone. So too is the search for common ground, competing ideas, confidence in the nation, confidence in government, confidence in the future. Gone, gone, gone.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How could this happen? Several reasons — from intellectual laziness to self-serving leaders. The reason that touches my world is the collapse of progressive Christianity as a teacher of civic virtues.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Progressive Christianity is only one voice on the spectrum of religious opinions. But over the years it has had a large impact in its insistence on honesty, fairness, tolerance and humility. Progressive Christians have fought slavery, racial injustice and oppression of the vulnerable. Our search for truth has allowed room for other truths, other voices — a critical attitude in preserving democracy.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/11/needed-progressive-christianity-restore-nation%E2%80%99s-civic-virtues-0" target="_blank">read more</a></p>civic virtuesDemocracyGod's Politicsmidterm electionsprogressive christianityTue, 11 Nov 2014 18:55:54 +0000Tom Ehrich62006 at http://www.sojo.netVIDEO: John Oliver's Wealth Gap Ranthttp://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/08/video-john-olivers-wealth-gap-rant
<p>Comedian John Oliver on how economic inequality is killing the American dream.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/08/video-john-olivers-wealth-gap-rant" target="_blank">read more</a></p>DemocracyJohn OliverVideowealth inequalityVideoWeb ExtraWed, 16 Jul 2014 15:53:02 +0000The Editors56141 at http://www.sojo.netThe Rich Get Richerhttp://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/08/rich-get-richer
<p>Ninety-five percent of all economic gains in the U.S. since the Great Recession went to the top 1 percent. What does our growing wealth inquality mean for the future of democracy?</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/08/rich-get-richer" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Democracydisparityeconomic distanceestate taxgapGreat RecessioninfrastructureMinimum Wagepope francisRacial and Social Justicewealth inequalityEconomic JusticeCover StoryMon, 07 Jul 2014 19:27:59 +0000Julie Polter55586 at http://www.sojo.netCOMMENTARY: On the Fourth, Setting Aside the 'I' for 'Us'http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/07/01/commentary-fourth-setting-aside-i-us
<p>The New York Knicks have a dilemma: Hold on to high-scoring star Carmelo Anthony, the consummate me-first ball hog, or build their future on team players.</p><p>I am hoping new coach Phil Jackson gives Anthony his walking papers. The Knicks have been a poor basketball team with Melo’s I-am-the-man selfishness. They will be better with players who know how to work as a unit.</p><p>As the coaching cliche puts it, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’” There is, however, an “I” in “big bucks,” and in “I am the star,” and in “watch my magic.”</p><p>It’s the very “I” with which Satan tested Jesus in the wilderness. It’s the “I” that builds empires on the suffering of many and destroys them just as quickly. It’s the “I” that cripples families and ruins enterprises.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/07/01/commentary-fourth-setting-aside-i-us" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Carmelo Anthonydeclaration of independenceDemocracyGod's PoliticsNew York KnicksRacial and Social JusticeThomas NelsonFaith and PoliticsTue, 01 Jul 2014 20:58:09 +0000Tom Ehrich55346 at http://www.sojo.netReframing Failurehttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/06/10/reframing-failure
<p>I’ve recently been thinking a lot about failure.</p><p>Not my failures, though I suspect we could come up with a few.</p><p>No, I’ve thinking about Scott Walker’s failed governorship in Wisconsin.</p><p>And Barack Obama’s failed presidency in the nation.</p><p>And our failed foreign policy.</p><p>And the failed Affordable Care Act.</p><p>And Walker’s failed jobs policy for the Badger State. And so on.</p><p>Then I started thinking about the failure of our political dialogue these days.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/06/10/reframing-failure" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Affordable Care ActchangeDemocracyDemocratsfailureGod's PoliticsGov. Scott WalkerjobspolicyPoliticsPresident ObamaRacial and Social JusticeRepublicansFaith and PoliticsTue, 10 Jun 2014 15:30:35 +0000Phil Haslanger54636 at http://www.sojo.netCOMMENTARY: Power Elites Are Waging War on the Foundations of Democracyhttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/06/03/commentary-power-elites-are-waging-war-foundations-democracy
<p>The two most critical requirements for democracy are freedom of the press and an educated citizenry.</p><p>The one informs the people and brings government and power into the open. The other enables people to comprehend information and to discuss opinions without resorting to panic and violence.</p><p>Power elites have declared war on both requirements.</p><p>These include “big money” oligarchs, such as the people who&nbsp;<a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/big-money-the-koch-brothers-and-me-107225.html?ml=m_t1_2h#.U4f8DpRyF8Y" target="_blank">gather around the Koch brothers</a>, politicians who cater to the wealthy in exchange for campaign contributions and government officials who have come to identify with the corporate and financial interests they regulate.</p><p>Through acquisitions of newspapers and television outlets and intimidation of reporters, these power elites seek to turn the press into propaganda vehicles and to distort information.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/06/03/commentary-power-elites-are-waging-war-foundations-democracy" target="_blank">read more</a></p>DemocracyElectionsfreedom of the pressGod's Politicspower elitespublic schoolsRacial and Social JusticeTea PartyEconomic JusticeTue, 03 Jun 2014 19:11:52 +0000Tom Ehrich54393 at http://www.sojo.netExporting Democracy...http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/06/exporting-democracy
<p>...although maybe we should have kept a little for ourselves.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/06/exporting-democracy" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Americacapitol hillColumnsDemocracyHumorlightNorth KoreaObamacarepridePutinsatireUkraineCultureLife and PeaceH'rumphsMon, 12 May 2014 14:23:49 +0000Ed Spivey Jr.54152 at http://www.sojo.netMoneyed Speechhttp://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/06/moneyed-speech
<p>The Supreme Court continues to dismantle campaign finance reform.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/magazine/2014/06/moneyed-speech" target="_blank">read more</a></p>CampaignCampaign FinanceCorruptionDemocracyElectionsMoneyRacial and Social JusticereformspeechSupreme CourtFaith and PoliticsCommentaryFri, 09 May 2014 18:11:10 +0000Nick Penniman54121 at http://www.sojo.netLessons for Our Democracy from the Not-so-distant Pasthttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/04/15/lessons-our-democracy-not-so-distant-past
<p>As latter-day partisans fling terms like “dictator” and “Nazi,” I decided to read William Shirer’s classic book about the real thing.</p><p>In “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” the historian describes Adolf Hitler as a sad little man — a layabout and chronic failure — who discovered his larger-than-life quest, convinced himself he was above all normal constraints and found the combination of scapegoating (blaming Jews and Slavs for Germany’s woes) and delusion (grandiose master-race theory) that would justify trampling on lesser lives.</p><div id="attachment_69525">Mocked as clownish at first and imprisoned for a foolhardy putsch, Hitler kept honing his message, created a strong organizational structure, unleashed a cadre of brown-shirted bullies to attack dissenting voices and waited patiently for collapsing national fortunes to make his vision of national purpose appealing.</div><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/04/15/lessons-our-democracy-not-so-distant-past" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Adolf HitlerDemocracyGod's PoliticsMein KampfWilliam ShirerGlobal IssuesLife and PeaceTue, 15 Apr 2014 20:44:23 +0000Tom Ehrich53821 at http://www.sojo.net